"Okay" Marlene's mouth was at Sirius' earlobe. They were waiting for James to begin his rousing pre-match speech, and had just moments to go over their strategy before the match. "Coutts, MacMillan and Drogger are who we're aiming for today. Coutts moves fast but-"
"If we aim in front of her, it'll be enough to throw her off course" Sirius summarised. "See how much you can flirt with MacMillan to throw his game and we can both keep an eye on Drogger. You stay low, I'll head higher. Deal?"
They knocked the top of their Beaters bats together in quick agreement. The entire team started to shuffle nervously as James took his place at the head of the pack, clearing his throat quickly. Outside, the roar of the crowd was starting to permeate their bubble, and they could hear the familiar stamping tune of 'go, go, Gryffindor' from the stands.
"I'm not going to say much" James promised, earning a cheer from his fellow Chasers, Penny Garcia and Ellie Ponds, "thank you for training so hard for this over the past few weeks. I know it's been tough, but we're in great shape and, more importantly, we're ready to absolutely flatten our friends in Hufflepuff!"
After the enthusiastic whoops from his team died down, James raised his hands once more: "remember we've planned this as much as we can. Keep an eye on Coutts – she's new and she's quick, we don't know what her moves will be yet, obviously protecting Ben so that we can get the Snitch is the priority. Let's keep it clean and win fair and square. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks, but I don't want anyone ending up in the Hospital Wing. This is our year, Gryffindors, now let's fucking smash it!"
This, James reflected, was always his favourite part. The team mounted their brooms and took off, exploding like fireworks through the entrance, one by one. It gave everyone their moment in the spotlight and the screams from the crowd were to die for. Even Minnie was dressed to the nines in Gryffindor garb, and clapping enthusiastically from the teachers' stand.
As the Gryffindors got into formation, they leaned back on their broomsticks to clap the arrival of their opponents. James had always insisted that they do this with every team they played against – even Slytherin – they could leave their politics offside the pitch, even if just for a moment, and welcome them to the field.
At the very least, it had really confused Slytherin the first year they'd done it, and the biting smiles of his team members had thrown the snakes into such a frenzy that Gryffindor had swept away with the match by a whopping 300 points.
Bert MacMillan was opposite James before he knew it, and the pair grinned at each other. They'd always had an easy friendship and, on the Quidditch pitch, it barely dissipated, leaving the two Captains to rip the piss out of each other at every possible opportunity.
"Wearing yer lucky boxers today, Potter?" The Hufflepuff teased, holding out his hand for James to shake.
"Not wearing any pants, mate" James replied, deadpan, shaking hands "when we win I'm going to do a moony on my victory lap."
Bert snorted "I wouldn't put it past you."
"Know who else isn't wearing any knickers today?" James beamed "McKinnon. Saving herself for you, apparently."
Bert bit his tongue. "Feck off, Potter."
The Hufflepuff Captain turned to wave at Marlene all the same. She blew him a kiss in return, and James detected a faint blush at the tips of Bert's ears.
Perfect.
Madame Hooch ascended, interrupting their banter. "Captains" she boomed, sounding every inch the oracle of Quidditch "a good game for the first of the season, please."
James and Bert both bowed their heads respectfully. "Yes, Ma'am" they chorused, well-versed in this after years of the game.
"Players, at the ready!" she demanded.
The circle around them shifted, crackling with nervous energy.
This, the anticipation, was the second best bit of Quidditch.
Both Captains watched one another as Hooch's whistle shrilled. The Quaffle flew upwards and James snatched it, propelling himself upwards, as he relished in the yelps from the crowds.
The game had officially begun.
"And they're off!" The familiar voice of Ravenclaw fifth-year Samuel Jones echoed around the field "It's Potter with the Quaffle, passes to Ponds, setting up to take on Hufflepuff's Drogger at the hoops, but can they score this early in the match?"
The cheers that resounded from Gryffindor's stand argued that their team could, and James repaid their confidence by ricocheting the Quaffle effortlessly past the Hufflepuff Keeper.
"See?" Dorcas beamed at Lily "told you they were good!"
It wasn't that Lily hadn't been to a Quidditch match before. It was just that she wasn't overly invested in the sport and, to be honest, she understood the rules of football better. Learning the rules of a wizarding sport when you've spent your whole life surrounding by Aston Villa memorabilia just seemed pointless to first-year Lily, and it was only after constant badgering from Marlene, and James patiently explaining the rules to her over one of their late-night Exploding Snap sessions that she was going to give genuine enthusiasm for the sport a try.
She watched in wonder as Sirius struck a Bludger that had been rocketing towards him, sending it careering off in the direction of the Hufflepuff's Beater. Marlene intercepted it effortlessly and fired it at Bert MacMillan, who had just taken possession of the Quaffle.
The Quaffle and the Bludger collided, and the red ball spun out of Bert's hands and into Penny's waiting arms.
"Nice one, Mar!" Sirius hollered, dodging a second Bludger from Raquel Cruiz. The Hufflepuffs had gotten more aggressive this year after Marlene's infamous takedown of their previous Seeker the year before, and he had to admit that he was enjoying the challenge.
"It's all to play for!" the commentator reminded the crowd as the Gryffindor Chasers sank a second Quaffle past Hufflepuff's Keeper for the third time in just three minutes "but Merlin's beard, Gryffindor did not come to muck around today! Can Hufflepuff keep up? It's Gryffindor leading, thirty-nil."
The winning streak didn't last for long, and before the Gryffindors knew it, they were twenty points down.
Both teams were playing a blinding game, with players dipping and dodging and every available opportunity, the Beaters were being particularly brutal. At one point Drogger had been hanging upside down on his broom to stop the Gryffindors scoring more points, and Marlene had taken the opportunity to aim a Bludger at the tail of his broomstick, sending him spinning like a sycamore seed.
Ellie and James had been targeted by the Hufflepuff Beaters too, with a Bludger missing James' nose by a whisker, and Penny being forced to feint to avoid the ball, leaving them unable to reach the Hufflepuff's hoops.
James hovered for a few moments, taking in the scene around him. Catching Marlene's eye, he motioned towards Sirius and then at Hufflepuff's trio of Chasers, who were starting to get into the classic Hawkshead Attacking Formation.
"Anton, incoming!" the Captain yelled back at their Keeper, whistling for his two other Chasers to join him as they prepared for a head-on hit.
"Two in one?" Marlene grinned, circling around Sirius.
They both took a dive, ignoring the confused shrieks from the crowd, and intercepted a Bludger meant for Ellie. They swung at the same time with both bats, and sent the ball after their own Chasers, who pulled skyward at the last minute, sending it into Hufflepuff's contingent.
Watching the formation fold, it reminded Lily of getting a strike in bowling, and she screamed almost louder than anyone as Marlene and Sirius triumphantly looped over the house stand to watch the three Hufflepuff Chasers struggle to regain control of their brooms.
It was all the Gryffindor Chasers had needed to get another ten points, despite the howls from the Hufflepuff stand at Marlene and Sirius' dirty tactic.
"A stunning show from Black and McKinnon there" Jones hollered "the classic Doppelganger Defence, which I don't think we've seen on this pitch since 1975. Now, of course, we're just biding time until Amber Coutts or Ben Rayner spot that Snitch and close the game."
"Come on" Sirius hissed, sending a Bludger swinging at one of Hufflepuff's Beaters.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber Coutts dive towards the floor.
Ben followed swiftly and the whole stadium became a wall of noise. James and the Gryffindor Chasers took the opportunity to fire a final Quaffle in the hoop, much to Drogger's annoyance, before all the players followed the trail of the two Seekers.
"Coutts is moving quickly – of course this is her first game as Hufflepuff Seeker and she's definitely got the speed to do it, can she take this potential victory away from the Gryffindor team during the first match of the season?"
Marlene could feel the familiar tug of nausea at the back of her throat. This, this was the worst part of Quidditch.
She spotted Sirius diving for a Bludger and she followed his lead, heading for the other ball. She felt his Bludger whistle past her on her way, and she brought her broom to a quick stop to get control of the second ball.
Marlene's ball caused Amber to serve to the left, losing touching distance of the Snitch and Sirius' Bludger landed exactly where they'd always planned it: between the Seeker and the Snitch.
Amber forced her broom upwards to avoid a collision with the Bludger, losing her precious seconds. It was all over when Ben dangled forward, barely on his broom, and closed his fist triumphantly around the Golden Snitch for the first time that season.
The crowd went wild.
"That's it!" the commentary declared "the first game of the season is over and Gryffindor wins with a whopping 270 points to Hufflepuff's 100."
After almost being tackled from his broom by his Captain, Sirius led the victory lap around the pitch which, thankfully, James kept his trousers up for.
"I don't know about you" Sirius settled into a triumphant hug with Marlene when they were both back on the ground "but I think this calls for a party."
"I could use a drink" the blonde beamed at her fellow Beater "you smashed it, Black. Well done."
He laughed "me? You were an animal out there today. We're the dream team."
"I love that you're busy licking each other's arseholes" James insisted, breaking the two apart by wrapping his arms around their shoulders "but can we please get smashed now?"
How could they say no to their Captain?
"I can't believe you actually enjoyed a Quidditch match" Doe repeated for the fourth time that hour as the girls started to get ready for the inevitable victory party in the Common Room.
"Is it really that surprising?" Lily asked, pulling five outfit options onto her bed.
"Yes" her three dormmates chorused in unison.
"Lil, I've been trying to get you to our games for years!" Marlene pointed out, towel-drying her long blonde locks. "What's changed?"
"Spending some time with the dishy Quidditch Captain, perhaps?" Alice teased.
"Yeah, are you two gonna shag or what?" Marlene asked, ducking as Lily threw a pillow at her head.
"I don't fancy James Potter!" Lily insisted, ignoring the fact that her cheeks were tinging pink.
"Firstly, Lil, that's a lie. Secondly, you don't have to fancy people to get your rocks off with them" Marlene pointed out.
Lily Evans simply couldn't fancy James Potter, that was the truth of it. Yes, they'd been spending more time together, and he could be kind and funny and sincere – all things she'd have thought impossible of him even a few weeks ago, he was a great Quidditch player and was becoming a good Head Boy, and of course she'd noticed the muscles in his arms and the warmth in his eyes when he got to explode a Snap deck, but she was only human and-
"Earth to Evans" Doe called from the other side of the room "are you done with daydreaming about Potter now?"
"I was not-"
"I was asking if Emmeline could come and get ready with us?" Doe shifted the weight from one foot to the other. "If that's okay?"
Lily frowned "why wouldn't it be? You're seeing each other, aren't you?"
Doe caught Marlene's eye, who just smiled. "It'll be nice to meet her properly" her best friend promised, rubbing her damp hair with Sleekeazy's.
Of all the reactions Doe cared about, Marlene knew it was hers, and she knew it would never stop being complicated. Their friendship had never been conventional, but that was a story for another time. Doe's happiness was all that mattered to Marlene, anyway.
Ten minutes later, Doe returned, hands laced with the pretty sixth-year Ravenclaw's and the girls, in various states of undress, were effusive in their introductions.
"Congratulations on the match, Marlene" Emmeline pulled a bottle of champagne from her bag "thought we could pop this to celebrate?"
"Anyone who brings a bottle is a friend of mine" Marlene said, wrapping the new girl in a hug. "It's lovely to meet you. Let's get some glasses, eh?"
"Then we can paaaaaaaaaaaarty!" Doe declared.
The five girls raised a glass to that.
If nothing else, after the past few weeks, they were going to make sure that Lily had a damn good time.
"Great game today, mate" James handed a bottle of Butterbeer to Bert MacMillan in truce. "Sorry that we pipped you to the post."
"No yer not" Bert laughed, taking a hearty swig "but good t'know that we can still keep up with ya. Reckon you ruined Amber's birthday an' all."
"It's Coutts' birthday?" Sirius smirked "remind me to apologise to her later."
"As long as your apology doesn't involve sleeping with the enemy, I'm okay with it" James told his best friend.
"Based on that logic, you won't be puttin' in a good word with McKinnon for me?" Bert grinned.
James pretended not to notice Sirius' pointed look at the Hufflepuff Captain and, thankfully, Bert didn't seem to clock it. "I don't think Marlene even knows what's going on inside her head most of the time" James said breezily "have you met Lizzie Tintwistle, by the way? Deputy Editor for the Herald, sixth-year Ravenclaw, very pretty. Reckon you'd get along."
Sirius grinned as his best mate led Bert into the party, guiding him into the corner where a few Ravenclaws were gathered.
He owed that boy a Butterbeer.
"What are you grinning at?" Remus asked, sidling up to Sirius and stealing a swig of his Butterbeer.
"Nothing" Sirius fibbed. "How's the party going for you? Have the girls bothered to make an appearance yet?"
"You can just ask where Marlene is, Padfoot, it's okay" Remus finished the last of his friend's drink and fished a bottle for each of them from the table nearby.
Sirius ignored his friend's comment and ploughed through the conversation regardless. "Please tell me you didn't leave Wormy to his own devices with that poor Hufflepuff girl."
"Don't you worry, I took him out of it when he started talking about different types of trains. Marlene and Lily saw the whole shitshow, so they're giving him advice on how to talk to women."
Sirius was dumbfounded. "Pete doesn't even like trains."
Remus nodded gravely. "I know."
"Merlin's balls" the Gryffindor Beater hissed. "Let's get this tragic party livened up, shall we?"
Marlene and Lily were deep in conversation with a stricken Pete when they heard Sirius' rambunctious demand for spin the bottle.
The two girls rolled their eyes at each other before turning to the matter at hand.
"Look Pete" Lily touched his arm "at least it seemed like you were passionate about something, but maybe next time you need to ask some questions about her? Simple stuff, like what does she like to do in her spare time? What's her favourite subject? Does she have a favourite Quidditch team?"
Pete's head was still in his hands. "It was awful" he groaned "I don't know anything about trains, I just panicked. James and Sirius, even Remus, they're so good at this stuff! I'm just rubbish."
"Nonsense, Pete" Marlene nudged him with her elbow "everything takes practice, that's all. Trust me."
"Just try asking questions and listening next time" Lily advised him "then you can have a bit more time to think about your answers."
"And don't worry about whether or not you look cool" Marlene reassured him "girls can tell when you're not being genuine, so just be you. Why don't you try again with Rosie, yeah?"
Pete steeled himself, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. "Yeah, okay" he stood up, ruffling his hair into practiced messiness. "How do I look?"
"Perfect" Lily smiled at him. "She'd be silly to walk away from you."
With their good deed done for the evening, the two girls clinked their glasses together and winced as their cocktails burnt on the way down. After the five of them had laid waste to several bottles of champagne and a bottle of nettle wine in the dorms, Lily had been insistent on mixing a jug of Old Fashioneds with the Firewhisky from the table in the Common Room, and they'd spent the better part of the last half an hour getting more and more intoxicated.
"Ladies, how's the dating service going?" James asked, perching himself in the seat that Peter had vacated. He reached out for Marlene's drink, a nod to the familiarity between the pair, and took a quick sip: "fucking hell" he spluttered "who mixed this?"
Lily raised her hand in a guilty plea. "You don't like it?"
"I didn't think you had it in you, Evans. Are you two not going to join the festivities?" he nodded at Sirius, who had corralled most of the party around him and was regaling them with tales of legendary games of spin the bottle of times past.
"Yeah, why not" Marlene smiled. "Are you two coming?"
Lily paused, catching James' eye. "I think I'll watch from a safe distance for a bit" she admitted, unsure as to why her stomach was screaming for James to stay on the sofa with her.
Marlene got the hint and tipped an imaginary hat at the Head Boy and Girl before making her way to the circle to cheers from their other friends.
"So, I heard you made it to the match today" James smiled "how was that for you?"
"I actually had a really good time" Lily admitted. "You were all absolutely brilliant, and it was a bit better knowing some of the rules this time round…"
"It only took you seven years, Lily, we're all proud of you" James teased.
She thumped him playfully. "Don't be such a git."
"I'm not, I'm sorry. Thank you for coming. I'm just glad we didn't lose and embarrass ourselves in front of you."
Lily smiled and took another sip of her cocktail. She could feel her body temperature rising the more intently he looked at her. This wasn't good. Not at all.
"So" she smiled tightly "is there anyone you've got your eye on tonight? Now that the Evans-McKinnon dating directory is open for business, I'm sure we could fix you up with someone nice."
James sighed heavily, leaning closer to Lily as he surveyed the room. She tried to pretend that their knees weren't touching. "You know, Evans" he considered the question, taking a dramatic glug of his Butterbeer "I just don't think I'm dating material."
"Are you mad?" slipped out before she could stop it.
The Head Boy looked surprised. "What makes you think that I am?"
"Well" Lily flushed scarlet "you're Quidditch captain, Head Boy, you're one of the most popular boys in school and…" she gathered herself "you're not an awful person or bad to look at."
"Is that right?" James' voice was low, for her ears only.
She cleared her throat "but you're a terrible loser when it comes to Exploding Snap, so maybe you're not ready for compromises just yet."
"I could be better" James said coolly "for the right game of Exploding Snap."
"I know" Lily said quietly.
Their knees were still touching, and he was staring at her like she was his next meal.
"Sometimes" Lily's voice was still soft and fuelled by liquid confidence as she watched the party play on around them "I'm scared that I overthink things, you know? Maybe that's why I'm not great at dating. Like, what would happen if I just let go for a night?"
James kept his eyes on her, praying he knew what she was getting at. "And what would that look like exactly?"
Lily tilted her head and smirked at him, her perfect mouth shining with the slickness of her drink. "A bloody good time for you, probably."
Merlin's left testicle, he was going to explode.
"Lily-" he began, only for their sexual tension to be shattered by a shriek from the spin the bottle circle.
"Prongs, gonna need you to adjudicate mate!" Sirius yelled, beckoning him over.
James groaned. "I'll be back, I promise."
Lily didn't say a word. Instead, she sank back in the cushions and raised her glass to his retreating back.
The issue became clear to James as soon as he approached the haphazard circle on the floor.
"So, I spun it…" Sirius shrugged, motioning at the empty glass bottle on the floor, which was pointed neatly between two girls on the opposite side of the circle: Marlene and Amber Coutts.
"I see."
"So what do I do now, flip a coin? Three-way kiss?"
The circle howled in approval at Sirius' final proposition. Marlene and Amber looked deeply unimpressed.
"Okay" James stood behind his best mate's head. "Let's look at this logically" he addressed the circle "it is Amber's birthday today and you did shit on it by winning the first game of the season" he waited for the whooping of the Gryffindors in the room to die down "and you know the rule about Marlene."
"Er, Marlene doesn't know the rule about Marlene" the blonde Beater referred to herself in the third person, causing the people around her to titter with laughter.
"Sirius isn't allowed to fancy you during Quidditch season" James said loudly "He's been banned for years."
"What happens outside of Quidditch season?" Alice piped up from the sidelines, echoing the thought rattling around in Marlene's head.
The boys ignored her.
Sirius nodded thoughtfully "so, by default…"
"Happy sweet sixteen, Amber" James winked at the Hufflepuff, who had turned a deep shade of red. He left his best mate to lean over the circle and finish the game.
By the time he got back to the sofas, Lily was deep in conversation with a Ravenclaw he didn't recognise. He'd have to tackle that particular situation later, he resolved, when he'd had some more liquid courage.
"Shots?" Marlene asked behind him, having excused herself from the game on the floor. "Merlin knows I could do with one."
"I'm sorry about that, Mar, I-"
"Sorry about what?" the blonde brushed off his apology, quickly decanting shots of Firewhisky into glasses for the pair of them.
He fixed her with a look. "You and Sirius have never kissed. I didn't want the first time you did to be in front of a crowd at a party."
"He should be so lucky" Marlene's smile was tight as they clinked their glasses together and threw the scalding liquid down their gullets. "Were you playing footsie with Lily earlier?"
James was taken aback "no! But she was being a bit…un-Lilylike."
"Forward and flirty? It's the Firewhisky."
"I wasn't complaining" James insisted. "I just wish we could've finished our conversation."
Marlene watched as the redhead gesticulated wildly and threw half her cocktail down herself. "Now might be a good time to excuse her from the party and see if she wants some fresh air."
James shook his head. "She's had too much to drink, Mar. It wouldn't be right. Can you…?"
Marlene, ever reliable, lay a hand on his shoulder. "Go and enjoy yourself, mate. She's in safe hands."
Much later, after they'd all had too much to drink and their feet were sore from dancing, the girls recounted their night curled up on the sofas as the party died down. How Lily had performed her rousing rendition of ABBA's Mamma Mia to a confused group of purebloods whilst Alice and Marlene provided backing vocals, that Emmeline's first introduction to Pete had been to instinctively rescue him from his second trainwreck of a conversation with a girl that evening, how James and Sirius had been cornered by aggressive sixth-years who'd demanded that they did body shots of Firewhisky off of their six packs – once the crowd had gotten involved, they didn't really have a choice.
They were all musing over how Marlene had managed to lose one of her shoes, when Lily blurted out: "who knew that Potter had a six pack?"
They all knew which story of the evening she was stuck on, then.
Alice chuckled and took the Head Girl firmly by the elbow, leading her up to the dormitory.
"Can you two make sure you use a Silencing Charm tonight please?" Marlene pleaded Doe and Emmeline, who looked like they were about to go for a round on the sofa if they weren't stopped. "I don't want to be reminded of how much no one wants to shag me by listening to you guys having great sex."
"Hello, Bert MacMillan was drooling over you tonight!" Emmeline pointed out.
That much was true. Marlene wondered if she could sneak her way over to the Hufflepuff dormitories at this time of night and not face any consequences, but then she remembered she was on her last chance with Dumbledore, and he'd almost definitely expel her for seeking a shag halfway across the castle at four in the morning.
"He's too nice a boy" Marlene said "I'd walk all over him."
And, even though she hated to admit it, she was still agonising over that game of spin the bloody bottle.
"Are you coming up?" Doe asked, outstretching a hand for her best friend.
Marlene cast one last glance around the room. It had emptied considerably. Remus, always the responsible one, was starting to tidy up with flicks of his wand. James and Peter were wrapping the remaining bottles into the bottom of their t-shirts, cradling them like babies, as they headed towards the dormitory.
Sirius was in the corner of the room, his head bent close to Amber's, deep in earnest conversation.
Yep, she'd definitely had enough of the party.
"Night, all!" Marlene called "hangover cure delivery at midday?"
"You're the be-est" James sing-songed, scooping his precious stash closer to him.
"Lily is, actually" Marlene corrected him. She could feel Sirius looking over at her, and she turned to wave, her face not betraying the sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Sleep tight, ladies" Sirius raised a bottle of Butterbeer, barely breaking eye contact with the fifth-year Hufflepuff.
"Don't forget to use protection" Marlene bit back, sweeping up the stairs in front of Doe and Emmeline.
Fucking knobgoblin she thought bitterly, heaving herself up the stairs at lightning speed and ignoring the tell-tale titter of her best friend behind her. What did you have to go and say that for?
Sirius took a long swig from his bottle, watching in bemusement as the room rearranged itself around him.
"It's not fair to string girls along, you know" Amber piped up, resting her own bottle between her knees. "She really thinks you're going to fuck me."
The boy beside her let out a bark-like laugh: "aren't I?"
The fifth-year sighed. "Sirius, you're three sheets to the wind and you've just spent the past twenty minutes trying to tell me all of the reasons you don't fancy Marlene."
"Not convincing, is he?" Remus grinned unhelpfully, lifting up a final sofa cushion and sending it whizzing back to the seating area.
"It's Quidditch season" Sirius shrugged "I'm not allowed to fancy her. James would kill me."
"That doesn't mean you don't, you bellend" Amber muttered. "It's obvious to any idiot that you're obsessed with each other."
He didn't respond.
"You should tell her" Amber insisted "man up and take her on a date."
Remus joined the pair and was nodding in fervent agreement.
Sirius shook his head. They didn't get it, and he didn't know how to put it into words. Marlene was a lot of things: sarky, a complete pain, a walking thesaurus when she wanted to be, but most importantly she was one of his closest friends. He couldn't lose her.
They'd spent years dancing around the subject. Their final year in the castle didn't need to be any different. Sure, he wanted to punch Bert MacMillan every time he looked at Marlene, but he could try and live with that. If they just buried it, they wouldn't have to deal with the consequences if it all went wrong.
Bloody hell, he should've kissed her.
"She's going to be furious at you for spin the bottle" Remus didn't need to tell his friend, but Sirius groaned in agreement, knowing that his Quidditch partner was already fucking fuming.
"I'm not complaining" was Amber's response.
"You should go" Sirius told the girl in front of him. "Unless you're coming upstairs."
Amber rolled her eyes. "That's not how you do business, Black" she told him. "Don't pretend you're a twat, just admit you kissed the wrong girl."
"You could always come up" Sirius pitched "make her jealous for the morning."
Remus and Amber both reached out and punched him on either arm, almost causing him to drop his bottle.
Amber followed it by ruffling Sirius' hair, before gathering her belongings and bidding goodbye to the two boys.
The two Marauders sat quietly by the fire for a while.
"We should probably take that" Remus nodded at the cobalt blue high heel that had been unearthed in the tidy-up. "Marlene will want it back in the morning."
"What am I going to do, Moony?" Sirius sighed, resting his head in his hands.
His friend clapped him on his back "you need to tell her."
A heavy silence fell once more.
"In the morning" Sirius agreed.
"In the morning" Remus repeated. "Let's get some sleep, mate. Big day tomorrow."
Later, Sirius slipped Marlene's abandoned shoe into his trunk.
He wasn't sure how to talk his way out of this one, but he'd have to try his hardest.
She'd be at their door in a few short hours, and he had a lot of thinking to do.